DVD Releases

“RED TAILS,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard. Affecting if often cliched dramatization of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of talented African Americans trained as fighter pilots in WWII amidst rampant racism. Never one to approve a believable line of dialogue if he can help it, the presence of producer George Lucas does at least ensure spectacular air combat effects, and no amount of Hollywood hokum can put a damper on the sheer heroism on display behind this true story. A good old-fashioned stand-up-and-cheer tale. Rated PG-13 for some sequences of war violence. Running time: 2:25

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“THE SECRET WORLD OF ARIETTY,” animated with the voices of Bridgit Mendler and Amy Poehler. Another sumptuously animated fable from the inimitable Studio Ghibli, this time using Mary Norton’s children’s novel “The Borrowers” as a jumping-off point. Bedridden teen Shawn discovers a tiny world beneath the floorboards of his home, where miniscule 14-year-old Arietta (Mendler) dwells with her parents Homily and Pod (real-life couple Poehler and Will Arnett) when they’re not sneaking around the house, scavenging for food and other necessities, or fleeing the family cat. A loose but lovely adaptation, transforming a simple country house into a magical wonderland through arguably the most talented animation team on Earth. Rated G. Running time: 1:34

Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99

“THIS MEANS WAR,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine. Breezy ridiculousness from director McG (“Charlie’s Angels”) pits CIA operatives Pine and Tom Hardy against one another when it becomes apparent that they’re both dating the same woman (Witherspoon), a gentleman’s agreement that goes hilariously awry once they start taking advantage of the weaponry at their disposal. Essentially a live-action cartoon, and a lot of fun for viewers weary of the same old rom-coms. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:37

Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99

“THE WOMAN IN BLACK,” starring Daniel Radcliffe and Janet McTeer. Now that we’re finally out of “Harry Potter” books to adapt, it’s time to start trying to accept Radcliffe as someone other than the beloved, bespectacled young wizard, and this adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel does the trick for the most part. A young lawyer (Radcliffe) is sent to a haunted house in north England, where he must attempt to procure some paperwork belonging to the former owner, now a ghost purportedly murdering local children. Director James Watkins (“Eden Lake”) keeps things as unsettling and foreboding as possible throughout, resulting in a genuinely creepy affair that relies on atmosphere rather than gore for its scares. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:35

Suggested retail price: $30.99; Blu-ray $35.99

“SHERLOCK: SEASON TWO,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Hugely successful BBC update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s enduring sleuth finds Holmes (Cumberbatch) and Watson (Freeman) re-teaming for 21st-century re-workings of “A Scandal in Belgravia,” “The Hounds of Baskerville” and “The Reichenback Fall.” Fans of Robert Downey Jr.’s take on Holmes would do well to check out this version. Not rated; contains language, violence and thematic content. Running time: 7:41

Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $39.98

NEW TO DVD

“NEWLYWEDS,” starring Edward Burns and Caitlin Fitzgerald. Buzzy (Burns) and Katie (Fitzgerald) are the titular couple who’s newfound bliss is stressed by the arrival of Buzzy’s damaged and impulsive sister and complicated by Katie’s sister Marsha, who is projecting her own husband’s infidelity onto Buzzy. Will the couple’s trusting and insulated life be able to withstand the dysfunctions of their siblings? Unrated. Running time: 1:35

Suggested retail price: $26.95

NEW TO BLU-RAY

“CASTLE IN THE SKY,” animated with the voices of Anna Paquin and James Van Der Beek. Early Hayao Miyazaki (“Ponyo”) effort from 1986 is more of straightforward adventure than his later masterworks, yet for all that is no less entertaining or impressive. Young Pazu and Sheeta try to outrun a pack of dastardly villains bent on extracting information regarding a magical floating city that Pazu’s father once visited and photographed. Rated PG. Running time: 2:04

Suggested retail price: $39.99

“LETHAL WEAPON: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION,” starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Revisit Mel in all his mulleted glory as Riggs, the unhinged cop unwillingly partnered with the far more reserved (and closer to retirement) Murtaugh, played by Glovers. From 1987 to 1998, these guys dependably entertained audiences with action/comedies that delivered precisely what they promised: Laughs and violence. All four films are rated R for violence, language, and sexual and drug content. Running time: 7:56

Suggested retail price: $79.98

VIDEOPORT PICKS

“CERTIFIED COPY,” starring Juliette Binoche. With opera star William Shimell playing the other half of a couple getting to know each other in this luminous and provocative romance set in Tuscany, the film twists from romance to reflection on authenticity. Unrated. Running time: 1:46 Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99

“PERFECT SENSE,” starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. The romance and the “end of the world” genres rarely coincide, but in this case, the melding lives up to its title, with chef McGregor and scientist Green making a meaningful connection in the midst of a widespread plague that systematically rids its unfortunate victims of first their sense of smell, then taste, then hearing. Director David Mackenzie and screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson set their apocalyptic drama apart from similar films by applying an unblinking logic to the disease itself. Rated R for language and some sexuality/nudity. Running time: 1:32

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